From directing George Michael to telling Ian’s story - an insight into the creative process behind my brand film
“Remember. You’re the can of baked beans,” said Andy. It was a Friday afternoon in February and I was staring down the lens as filmmaker Andy Delaney (above - in the director’s chair!) got ready for a take.
Usually in my storytelling work I put others in the spotlight. But this Friday it was my turn, teaming up with Andy to make a little brand film for The Ian Sanders Company. And today I was the ‘can of beans’ - I was the product.
Andy is a highly-experienced filmmaker who earned his stripes making music videos for artists including New Order, Soul II Soul, Duran Duran and the duetting George Michael and Mary J. Blige, winning MTV Video Music Awards and a Grammy along the way.
Andy’s format in the late ‘80s and ‘90s was the sub-four-minute pop song. So, what could he create for me in the same format? You can watch the film below. But first, I want to share a little of Andy’s story, of how he got started, what he learned making those iconic music videos and the creative ideas he used in my brand film.
What did you want to do when you were growing up?
“I wanted to be a pilot originally but I found out I was colour blind. Then I wanted to be in a band but I found out I was tone deaf (and couldn't play) so I thought, ‘I know, I’ll go to art school!’ ”
How did you get into making music videos?
“A year after leaving Goldsmiths I got a crappy job at a music magazine selling advertising space. I had a contact book so I rang up Rob Gretton from Factory Records and told him that me and my mate would like to make a video for New Order. They wouldn’t have to pay for it unless they liked it. He said okay - which was of course terrifying. So we followed them round the country, shot some gigs and cobbled a video together. Amazingly they liked it. Things took off when we did the video for Back to Life with Soul II Soul and I spent the next twenty odd years working with people like George Michael, Lauryn Hill, Seal, Maroon 5, Spice Girls, David Gray and many more.”
What is it you love about the power of film for telling stories?
“I am terrible at tracking a narrative - I don’t really know what’s going on, I get lost easily so I’m really confused by whodunits and mysteries. What I like is the world that’s being created, the bits and pieces that don’t really forward the story but locate you in a place. I think cinema has an enormous capacity to absorb non-logical elements of music or performance or imagery which can enchant and bewitch while the main story is chugging away. I prefer films that make you see the world in a new way, not just tell you a story. Film can convey the visceral sense of being someone and somewhere else - it’s an empathy machine.”
How did you approach this project with Ian?
“We spent a while figuring out how to tell Ian’s story in a concise and easily digestible way. I like lists and bullet points and chapter headings - I think they can be kind of poetic - so we decided to tell a compressed version of Ian’s life through specific moments that have broader resonances. Ian wrote a script which we bounced around until it felt tight but grounded.”
Ian’s film has a distinctive style - what was the thinking behind that?
“I thought it would be interesting to illustrate Ian’s story as though we were presenting evidence from a crime scene. What Ian does is very empathetic and subjective. I wanted to contrast that quality with a forensic visual style. I worked as a commercials director for a long time and really enjoyed doing pack shots so once the ‘evidence’ idea was in place it was fun for us to find objects that were symbolic but not too flowery or pretentious. There’s a lot of content out there and it’s easy to get lost in the churn - a defined visual style helps cut through the noise.”
How has what you learned making music videos informed your filmmaking today?
“Three things. 1) Be aware of clichés and either use them knowingly or ditch them; 2) Don’t assume that just because you find something fascinating anyone else will; and 3) Be super prepared so that you can be relaxed on set. If the director is stressed and nervous then everyone gets twitchy and that kills creativity every time.”
